[MeredithMan]

If you think about any rest area / welcome center that you've been in--especially ones in tourist-centric states--what are they stocked with and how are they decorated? Brochures and Data Sheets on attractions in that state, as well as a décor that gets you in the "mood" for that state. (Example: VT has a welcome center on Rte 91 that is rustic / lodge-like, and has a lot of info on the state, as well as lots of info on attractions). I would suggest that the goal of the rest area / welcome center is not to be a money-maker in and of itself, but rather, to get people excited to spend their money in the restaurants, motels, and other tourist attractions in the state. And, to return time after time, and tell all their friends, and maybe buy a vacation home. That is where the real return on that investment is.

In poking around "www.nh.gov", it's fairly easy to find some data that proves what we all know: NH is by and large a Service Economy that is mostly driven by tourism. Just like any business, you want your customers, (the tourists), happy, so they buy from you, (NH restaurants, motels, etc), and not your competitors, (VT, ME, etc). Getting them in "the NH Mood" in the welcome center will help to do just that.